Wind speeds...

I have a Holder 12 sailboat, (comparable to a sunfish) and the forecast yesterday showed that today i would have perfect weather with 15 mph winds at 78 degrees Fahrenheit. However, when i got up this morning the forecast showed winds in the mid-twenties down to 18 mph in the late afternoon. I live in western Kansas where there is a lot of wind so I need to know how much wind is too much? And if i could go sailing this afternoon.

It's "afternoon" in Kansas as I write. A small sailboat has competitive advantages to larger boats in light and variable winds. I'd say a lot is determined by your age and physical condition. As a senior citizen, my personal preference is to sail when there are occasional whitecaps (~14 MPH), and no more than that. There's no telling what wind increases can happen if you're already challenged when wind speeds have the white caps blowing off as spray!

My friend in his 40s has both a Sunfish and a Holder 12, and says the Holder is more fun. I'll have to ask what he meant by that.

I went out in 25 mph winds with 40mph gusts on my small lake. I was crazy. My rudder kept popping up so I could only go perpendicular to the wind with the sail all the way out (parallel to the wind) and I was still moving fast. I hit shore and jumped out. Broke my tiller and extension. If the rudder stayed put, I may have had some fun.

Had fun Sunday in 12-15 mph winds with gusts to 20+.
I did tip over but it was my fault for getting overconfident and not loosing the main when coming about.
It was Sunday and there were other boats on the lake so help was quick to come.
Yesterday, Monday, winds were 15-17 with gusts to 36.
Because of NO other traffic on the lake I chose to stay in.
Would have loved to play in the big wind but not without any company.